Forget about better Barrie Transit service anytime soon.
City staff have told councillors there are no plans to return to pre-pandemic transit service levels this year.
Brent Forsyth, the city’s director of transit and parking, says ridership is at 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, although the total cumulative number hours of buses in service is back to about 90 per cent.
“Having additional service reinstated will likely help to increase ridership, however it is difficult to forecast when ridership will return to pre-pandemic levels as there are so many factors that would influence it,” he said. “For example, we have seen increases to remote work and remote learning that would likely impact the return of ridership.”
The funding which allowed Barrie Transit to break even during the pandemic is also running out of road.
It was provided by both the federal and provincial governments to allow the buses to run at reduced service levels without impacting taxpayers. However, at this time there’s no indication of additional funding from the upper levels of government to support ongoing revenue shortfalls, high fuel costs or the extreme inflation the city is facing.
By the close of 2022, when Safe Restart funding ends, the city is estimated to have received approximately $5.3 million to support transit services throughout the pandemic.
Routes 2, 3, 4 and 7 are now operating at approximately a 60-minute frequency during peak service times, from Monday through Saturday. Before the pandemic, these routes were operating at 30-minute frequency during the same days.
“When the pandemic hit, the city had to reduce its service to as low as 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, and has been re-introducing service as the demand has been increasing over the past two years,” Forsyth said. “Our service levels are now back to about 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, and unfortunately these are the lowest performing routes, which is why we have maintained 60-minute frequency.”
Staff were tentatively planning to have these routes back up to pre-pandemic levels in the fall of 2022, but with an uncertain financial outlook due to rising inflation and record-high gas prices, this level of service will be postponed.
Maintaining the reduced service levels will assist in offsetting city budget pressures for 2023, according to staff. Councillors could consider reinstating transit service levels at budget time, early next year.
Unless council directs otherwise, staff says Barrie Transit will continue operating on a reduced service level until council can consider the financial implications as part of the 2023 budget.
A memo on Barrie Transit service levels is on tonight’s city council circulation list.
It might or might not be dealt with by city councillors.
